RIP Johnny Carson

[raj]

And another legend passes on.  I preferred Letterman to Carson, but that was more of a generational thing.

[Scott H]

With the passing of Johnny Carson goes the last of the late night moguls. Today's hosts hold nigh a candle to the comedy of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson with Ed McMahon. There isn't much more to say on that.

[daveblackeye15]

Heeereeee's Johnny!

*sniff* He will be missed.

[Ozzymandias]

It's werid. Jay Leno is the last living Tonight Show host.

[Yaddo 42]

Plenty of the guest hosts are still around, but they were the talk show equivalent of substitute teachers.

Johnny was the legend who everyone copied and imitated, but never could top.

I can barely remember when the show was still 90 minutes rather than an hour, and thinking that I was really up late if I got to see the end of "The Tonight Show".

Every once in a while, I find myself wanting to see Carnac, Clyde R. Turbo,  Art Fern and the Tea Time Movie, or Johnny dealing with another exotic animal not wanting to cooperate yet again. I know the "Best of Carson" discs are available, but it's not the same.

[AndyC]

Man, every time you think there will be a break from celebrity deaths, another one goes, and it's usually someone you didn't expect.

I guess Carson has been out of the public eye long enough that he was much older than I remember. For me, he's permanently fixed at his age of around 1990. Through the mid-80s, when I was in my early teens, I thought his show was one of the best things on TV.

It's really disturbing, seeing the stars I grew up with getting old and dying. Not sure which is worse, though. Carson, as I said, is still about 15 years younger in my mind, and I never saw him as a young man. What really gets me is seeing a star of the 70s or 80s in something for the first time in years and realizing, "he's really old." Or, if I've watched them age, the reverse shock of seeing one of their old performances and realizing how young they were. Anybody over 30 on the board can probably relate to this.

[Menard]

I first saw the TONIGHT SHOW in 1971. I was allowed to stay up later on a Friday night. The TONIGHT SHOW preceded the Friday night horror movie. Johnny Carson had a flair for entertainment and an ability to be sincere with his guests and the audience. Unlike his recent counterparts, the humor in his skits relied on their ability to write a joke and not to make fun of people. Of course, we missed Carson when he signed off as host of the TONIGHT SHOW. Now he has forever signed off and we will forever miss him.

[trekgeezer]

I was seven when he took over the tonight show. I only remember catching it when I was small because my big brother watched it.  Watched it quite a bit during the 70's when the format was 90 minutes and they would have 3 or 4 guests.  

Johnny was one of the staples of American culture, even if people didn't watch his show they knew who he was.  He ended up being another victim of tobacco , a real shame. He'll be sorely missed.

[odinn7]

I understand exactly what you mean AndyC and it's good to know I'm not the only one that thinks this way (whew!). One of my favorite actors is Eastwood and I look at him now compared to his westerns or Dirty Harry and it reminds me of how old I am (not that I really need to be reminded, thanks). It's like that with lots of actors/actresses for me.

Johnny was certainly one of the greatest. During the summer school breaks in the late 70's and early 80's when I was allowed to stay up, I would watch that show religiously. My friends thought I was strange for watching his show but I found most of it to be quite amusing.  I will miss Johnny Carson like a long lost friend.

[Flangepart]

On of the great things about Jonny, was his ability to make failure work for him.
A joke bombs? No problim, his reaction will be funny! An animal gets snippy? It has just become his straitman...er, animal.
Anyone who wants to learn comedy, can still learn a lot from the skinny kid from the midwest.
 Adios, Jonny.

[Ozzymandias]

I remember during an Art Fern sketch he had an inflatable Ed McMahan doll. It popped real loud as he aired it up. He laughed and went right on. How ever from the look on her face the Tea Time Movie girl may have wet herself.

I actually got to meet Ed a few years back in Branson. He not only talk to me like I was someone he had known for years but he also talks just like he did on TV.

Also talked to Doc Severensin over the phone last year when he played in Springfield. I produce a radio show and the host had me call him for the interview. We led into the interview with a live version of the Tonight Show theme. I had to test the equipment to see if he could hear. I asked "Could you hear what we was playing?"  Doc laughed and said, "Son, I'd recognize that song anywhere." Both Ed and Doc are nice guys.